1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to coin-operated vending machines and, more particularly, is concerned with a dual station coin-operated vending machine.
2. Description of the Prior Art
One general type of coin-operated vending machine, which has been widely used, has a large transparent globe within which items, such as candy, gum or toys, are stored and displayed, a pedestal-like base supporting the globe, and a dispensing mechanism mounted in the base below the globe. The dispensing mechanism has an external coin slot and a handle or knob adapted to be turned by a user, after depositing a coin in slot, to cause the dispensing mechanism to discharge a predetermined quantity of the items from the globe down a discharge chute in the base to an end of the discharge chute externally accessible by lifting a pivotal door mounted on the exterior of the base. The deposited coin falls into a collection box located in the base behind the discharge chute.
Over the years evolution in the construction of this general type of coin-operated vending machine has occurred. One recent version of this vending machine type has been successfully commercialized by Vendmax International Inc. of Winnipeg, Canada, and is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. D453,532 to Semeniuk, one of the co-inventors herein, and also is illustrated in detail in FIGS. 1-9 and 21 herein.
As shown in FIGS. 1-9 and 21, the prior art Vendmax vending machine, generally designated 10, includes a base 12, a globe 14 seated on the base 12, a coin-operated dispensing mechanism 16 in the base 12 below the globe 14, a discharge chute 18 in the base 12 below the dispensing mechanism 16, and a coin collection box 20 in the base 12 behind the discharge chute 18. The base 12 includes a housing 22 and a receptacle 24. The housing 22 has a central vertical axis A and an overall polygonal configuration formed by multiple angularly-displaced side walls 26 which are greater than four in number, for example eight side walls 26, and together define an interior chamber 28. The housing 22 is closed at its lower end by a bottom wall 30 and has an opening 32 at its upper end defined by an annular top rim 22A.
The receptacle 24, as best shown in FIG. 5, has a central vertical axis B extending coaxially with the central vertical axis A of the housing 22. The receptacle 24 includes a continuous top annular flange 34 encircling the central axis B, an outer ledge 36 attached to and projecting outwardly from one side of the top flange 34, a continuous annular inner ledge 38 attached to and projecting inwardly from the top flange 34, a cylindrical sidewall 40 attached to and projecting downwardly from the inner ledge 38, and a bottom panel 42 spaced below the inner ledge 38 and closing the bottom end of the sidewall 40. The top flange 34 of the receptacle 24 in cross-section is inverted U-shaped permitting the top flange 34 to be disposed upon and over the upper rim 22A on the upper end of the housing 22. The cylindrical sidewall 40 and bottom panel 42 of the receptacle 24 together have a discharge opening 44 defined in a sector thereof that extends radially outwardly from the central axis B so as to offset the discharge opening 44 to one side of the central axis B.
The globe 14 of the prior art Vendmax vending machine 10 preferably is made of a transparent material, such as a suitable plastic, and has generally the same polygonal configuration as the housing 22 and opposite annular lower and upper rims 14A, 14B defining lower and upper openings 46, 48 of the globe 14. The globe 14 at its lower rim 14A, resting upon the top flange 34 of the receptacle 24, is supported by the top rim 22A of the housing 22. The globe 14 defines an interior reservoir 50 for containing product items P above the receptacle 24 for feeding by gravity through the discharge opening 44 in the receptacle 24 upon actuation of the machine 10 by the coin-operated dispensing mechanism 16.
The Vendmax vending machine 10 also includes a top cover 52, an annular cover seat 54, and a pair of tie rods 56. The cover seat 54, being circular in configuration, seats on the upper rim 14B of the globe 14. The top cover 52 rests over the cover seat 54 and thus on the upper rim 14B of the globe 14. The tie rods 56, being elongated bolts, extend downward through ears 54A on the cover seat 54 and through the interior reservoir 50 of the globe 14 to where the lower ends of the tie rods 56 are threaded into holes (not shown) tapped in the inner ledge 38 of the receptacle 24 so as to secure the cover seat 54 over the upper opening 48 of the globe 14 and to the receptacle 24.
The coin-operated dispensing mechanism 16 and discharge chute 18 of the Vendmax vending machine 10 are disposed within the interior chamber 28 of the housing 22. The dispensing mechanism 16 is mounted to and extends inwardly across the interior chamber 28 from the interior of one side wall 26A of the multiple side walls 26 of the housing 22. The one side wall 26A has an angled configuration different than the flat outwardly sloping configurations of the remaining side walls 26. The outer side ledge 36 of receptacle 24 overlies and covers the upper end of the one side wall 26A of the housing 22.
The dispensing mechanism 16 includes a plate 58 attached to the one side wall 26A of the housing 22 having a coin receiving slot 58A in the top of the plate 58, a shaft 60 rotatably mounted to the plate 58, a coin-actuating turning knob 62 mounted to an outer end 60A of the shaft 60 at the exterior of the plate 58 and of the one side wall 22A, and a drive gear 64 attached to an inner end 60B of the shaft 60 for rotation therewith. The drive gear 64 has a series of radially projecting teeth 64A attached thereon.
The dispensing mechanism 16 also includes an annular guide ring 66 and a dispensing wheel 68. The guide ring 66 is of circular shape and seated about and upon the inner ledge 38 of the receptacle 24 and extends downwardly therefrom along the sidewall 40 of the receptacle 24. The dispensing wheel 68 has an upstanding sidewall 70 with an upper annular edge 70A which slidably fits into an annular groove 66A defined in the underside of a bottom edge 66B of the annular guide ring 66. The upstanding sidewall 70 also has a lower annular flange 70B attached to and protruding outwardly from the sidewall 70. The dispensing wheel 68 also has a series of circumferentially arranged teeth 72 are attached to and extend downwardly from an underside of the flange 70B such that the dispensing wheel 68 at the series of teeth 72 thereof intersects with, rests upon, and successively intermeshes with, the series of teeth 64A on the drive gear 64 so that the dispensing wheel 68 is rotatably driven relative to the guide ring 66 upon turning of the knob 62 and rotation of the shaft 60 and drive gear 64 therewith. The guide ring 66 is held in a stationary position relative to the rotation of the dispensing wheel 68 by the fact that the tie rods 56 extend through a pair of apertures 66C in the guide ring 66 before the tie rods 56 reach and attach to the inner ledge 38 of the receptacle 24.
The dispensing wheel 68 further has a central bottom panel 74 attached to the sidewall 70 thereof and a central tubular pedestal 76 fixed on the bottom panel 74 and extending upwardly therefrom. A central lock device 78 for securing the top cover 52 on the globe 14 and also the hopper 24 and globe 14 to the housing 22 is provided in the machine 10. The central lock device 78 includes a key actuated component 80 mounted centrally in the top cover 52 and an elongated rigid rod 82 which extends downward through the globe 14, the housing 22 and the central tubular pedestal 76 on the dispensing wheel 68. The component 80 permits removal of the top cover 52 by authorized personnel in order to refill the globe 14. The elongated rod 82 has an externally-threaded lower end 82A which threads into an internally-threaded lug 30A formed on the interior of the bottom wall 30 of the housing 22. A sweep arm 84 is attached to the upper end of the central pedestal 76 and projects radially outwardly therefrom so as to revolve about the rod 82 with the rotating pedestal 76 as the dispensing wheel is rotated by the turning of the knob 62. The sweep arm 84 revolves near the lower opening 46 of the globe 16 so as to stir the items contained therein so as to ensure that the items will drop by gravity onto the central bottom panel 74 of the dispensing wheel 68. The central bottom panel 74 of the dispensing wheel 68 also has three openings 86 circumferentially arranged relative to one another and defined therethrough such that successive ones of the openings 86 per each turn of the knob 62 are brought into alignment with the discharge opening 44 in the receptacle 24 and the discharge chute 18 aligned below the discharge opening 44 whereby with each turn of the knob 62 in response to depositing of a coin C in the slot 58A an item or items of product P will drop through the dispensing wheel 68 down the discharge chute 18 to behind an access door 88 which is pivotally attached to the one side wall 26A of the housing 22 below the knob 62. The user can pivotally open the access door 88 to retrieve the dispensed item(s). The discharge chute 18 is attached to the housing 12 at an interior location thereon surrounding the access door 88 and extending upwardly therefrom to below the dispensing wheel 68.
The coin collection box 20 is disposed in the interior chamber 28 of the housing 22 immediately above the bottom wall 30 thereof. Also, an elongated coin chute 90 is disposed in the interior chamber 28 of the housing 22 which extends from the plate 58 to the collection box 20 for routing thereto any coins C that were deposited in the coin slot 58A in the plate 58. The collection box 20 has an exterior end 20A exposed at the exterior of the housing 22 through an opening 22B formed in a second side wall 26B (an partially in the two side walls 226 adjacent thereto) of the multiple side walls 26 spaced oppositely to the one side wall 26A of the housing 22. A lock device 92 is mounted in the interior chamber 28 of the housing 22 below the collection box 20 and has a key actuated component 94 mounted in the exterior end 20A of the collection box 20 which facilitates removal of the box 20 from the housing 22 by authorized personnel to retrieve the coins C therefrom.
While this prior art Vendmax vending machine has functioned satisfactorily in use in accordance with the specific purposes for which it was designed, a need for further innovations thereto has been felt by the original inventor to provide a more versatile machine without eliminating any of the desirable features of the prior art Vendmax vending machine.